Push-button switch.



I. CARLSON & R. A. JOHNSON.

PUSH BUTTON SWITCH.

APPUCATIOH FILED 050.29. 1.9.11.

1 29mm; Patented Jan. 7,1919.

2 sHEETs-SHEET'I.

J venjora 6m jijarrz e50 I. CARLSON & R. A. JOHNSON.

PUSH BUTTON SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.29. 19H.

m mm, Patented Jan. 7,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W Z. M

IVAR CARLSON, OF LEOMINSTER, AND BUDOLF A. JOHNSON, OF WORCESTER, MASSA- CHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS TO ARNOLD C. MESSLER, F PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND.

I PUSH-BUTTON SWITCH,

eeaoea.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 3,1919,

Application filed December 29, 1917. Serial No. 209,889.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, IvAR CARLsoN and RUDoLr A. JOHNSON, both subjects of the King of Sweden, residing, respectively, at Leominster and -Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Push-Button Switches, of which the following is aspecification.

of Fig. 1,

Figs. 4, 5, and 6, sections on lines 44, 55, and 6-6 respectively of Fig.3,

Fig. 7, a section corresponding to that of Fig. 3 showing the parts in closed position,

Fig. 8, a section on line 8,8 of Fig. 7,

Fig. 9, a section on line 99 of Fig. 4,

Fig. 10, an elevation of the swinging arm and its support showing the reverse s1de of the parts of which the obverse is shown in Fig. 3, and

Fig. 11, a modified form of the part shown in Fig. 8. I

Like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the views.

As indicated in the drawings the casing comprises a front plate 11 provided with a central opening 12, a side wall 13, and an insulating base 14 fast in the inner end of the wall 13 and rovided with a central opening 15. A lining of the insulating material 16 is provided upon the inner face of the wall 13.

In openings 17 inthe plate 14 are binding posts 18 for the condpctors 19 provided with external shoulders 20 to abut against the outer face of the plate, having upon their extremities within the casing flanged over portions 21. A push button 23 slides" in the opening 12 of the faceplate andis provided with a rim 24 upon its inner end to abut against the face plate. The button forms the head of a rod 25 which slides in the guide opening 15 of the insulating plate. The upper portion 26 of this rod isof increased diameter to form an annular shoul der 27.

The framework of the contact device is cut and bent from thin sheet metal, and in detail comprises a flat rigid post 29 disposed at right angles to. an attaching lug 30 upon its inner end, provided with an openin 31 to admit one .of the binding posts 18. The lug is retained against the insulating plate by the flanged over portion 21 of the post. The outer end of the post .29 has integral therewith a transverse lug or plate 32 provided, as shown in Fi 8, with an inclined or beveled margin33 elow which is a longitudinally disposed depression or seat 34 in an intermediate portion of the lug, comprising a shoulder or rib 35 and an inclined face 36. A second fiat post 37 has upon its inner end an attaching lu 38 provided with aperforation 39 to admit the second binding post 18 whose flanged over portion 21 retains the lug in ,close contact'with the plate 14. Upon the forward extremity of this post is a stop lug 40. Near this lug fast in the post 37 is a pin 41 provided with a head 42 and around this post is a helical spring 43 abutting against the head and having one end arm 44 downwardly directed and seated in a cavity 45 in one of the binding posts, andits other end arm 46 engaging one side of a flat arm 47 and outwardly pressing the same. The latter is provided near one end with a circular opening 48 to admit loosely therethrough the pin 41. This opening'is preferably of somewhat greater diameter than the pin to allow the arm a slight movement lengthwise of the pin if necessary against the end coil of the spring. 43'which yieldingly presses the arm against the post 37. The arm or pivoted plate 47 has abroad body ortion 50, froman intermediate portion 0 whose end extends a contact finger or extension 51. Above and below the finger upon the end of the portion 50 are lateral lugs or projections 53 and 54 respectively, The spring arm 46 which presses against the inner edge of the arm 47 presses the outer edge of the arm against the stop 40, in which position the finger 51 is infront of the plate 32, as shown in Fig. 3, and in substantially the same horizontal plane,

. rod 25. The width of t is slot is sufiicient The device is normally open' withthe parts disposed as shown in Figs. 3 and .4. The

to loosely admit the rod but is less than the diameter of portion 26 of the rod, hence the arm 56 normally presses against the shoulder 27 a of the rod.- The projections 53 and 54 are in the horizontal plane of the lip 57, so that a depression of the button 23 forces the lip inwardly into engagement with one or the other of said projections. l

The operation of theswitch is as follows:

finger 51 is out of contact with the lug or plate 32, and the'lip 57 is intermediate the projections 53 and 54.

- upon the button 23, therefore, forces the lip A single pressure against the projection 54 and moves the finger 51 inwardly from the upper dotted position shown in Fig. 8 to the position shown in full lines. During this movement the finger slides upon and is guided by the inclined face 33 to a position to snap into the seat 34 under the influence of the spring 43 r the resiliency of the material constituting the fingeia. The manual pressure on the button is now released and the rodor plunger 25 resumes its original position,

and the finger is held in its seat by the spring elements 46 and 43 and the shoulder 1 35. This is the position of the partswhen the circuit is closed, as shown in Fig. 7, the 1 current passing from post to post in an obvious manner. l a I I To break the circuit the -button'is again manually pressed inwardl yj The lip 57 now engages the second projection 53 and forces the finger 51 inwardly along the inclined face 36 until it disengages the plate 32 and assumes some position similar to that The outer end of said plate has portions shown in the lower broken lines of Fig. 8. As soon as the manual pressure on the button is discontinued the pressure of the arm 46 forces the finger 51, in the direction of the lower arrow, back to its original open position. This return is facilitated by the transverse pressure of the spring 43 and by the traveled edge 59 of the 'finger 51, whereby the finger slides easily over the up er face of the plate 32. I

n order to avoid any chance of sparking, those positions of the plate 32 which are in the path of the finger 51, other than the seat, may be of insulating material. In Fig. 11 such a construction is illustrated.

thereof cut away leaving an engaging rong 61 and a flange 62, a block of insu ating naeopse material'63'is then substituted for the cut away metallic portion, being held! in position by the pro ection 61. In this construction only the area 62, which corresponds to the seat 34, is of exposed metal.

We claim 1. In a push button switch, the combination with the casing and supports therein, of a reciprocating plunger slidably mounted in the casing, a contact plate upon one support, a resilient member in the path of the plunger to be engaged thereby, a vibratory contactarm pivotally mounted on another support in the path of said plate engageable by said plunger and adapted to suecessively engage and disengage the plate,

and means actuated by the plunger for vibrating the arm 2. In a push button switch, the combination with the casing, of a plunger slidably mounted in the casing, a button on the plunger, supports fast to the casing, a con.- tact plate on one support, a vibratory arm pivotally mounted on the other support movable in the path of and adapted to engage and disengage the plate, a spring carried by the second support for vibrating the arm in one direction, and means actuated by the plunger for vibrating the arm in the other direction.

3. In a push button switch, the combination with the casing, of a plunger slidably mounted'in the casing, a'button on the plunger, supports fast to the casing parallel with the plunger, a contact plate movable by the plunger, a contact plate on one support, a vibratory contact arm pivotally mounted on the other support movable in the path of and adapted to engage and disengage the plate, a spring carriedby the second support engaging the arm, a third support fast to the casing, and a resilient arm upon the last mentioned support engaging the plunger for. depressing the contact arms against the action of said spring.

4. In a push button switch, the combination with the casing, of a plunger mounted in the casing, a button on the plunger, supports on the casing, a contact plate on one support, a vibratory contact arm pivotally mounted on another support adapted to engage and disengage the plate, a'resilient member operable by direct contact by the plunger and engageable with said arm, a spring carried by the. second support for vibrating the arm in one direction, a stop on the second sup ort in the path ,of the arm for limiting t e movement of the arm in said "direction, and means actuated by the plunger for vibrating the arm in the opposite direction.

5. In a push button switch, the combination with the casing, of a plunger mounted in the casing, a button on the plunger, sup:

in the casing,

yielding vibratory mounted on the other support to enter and leave the'seat when the arm is successively vibrated, resilient means for outwardly moving the arm, a third support upon the casmg, a resilient arm on the last supportengagingthe plunger and inwardly movable thereby, and projections spaced from each other on the contact arm in the path of the resilient arm."- 7

6. In a push button switch, the combination wi'ththe casing, of a plunger mounted a button on the plunger, supports in the casing, a contact plate on one support, a lateral shoulder on an intermediate portion of the plate, contact arm pivotally provided with beveled marginal surfacesjand with a seat adjacent the shoulder, a laterally yielding vibratory contact .arm pivotally mounted on the other support to slid said plate being ably engage the beveled surfaces duringits vibration, resilient means for outwardly osa third support in thearm on the last support cillating the arm, casing, a-resilient engaging the plunger and inwardly movable thereby, and lateral projections on-the contact arm in the path of the resilient arm.

In testimony. whereof we have aflixed our signatures.

IVAR CARLSON. RUDOLF A. JOHNSON. 

